Cheesemaking Demonstration Recipes

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups Heavy Cream

  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 quart Mason Jar with Lid
  • Large Bowl
  • Strainer or Colander
  • Cheese Cloth
  • Spatula
  • Butter Mold (optional)
  • Air-tight Container

Directions:

  1. Pour heavy cream into the mason jar and seal the lid tightly.
  2. Shake the jar for approximately 20 minutes or until the butter forms a ball in the container.
    • The sound the mixture makes in the jar will change and suddenly sound more like splashing water as the butter begins to form.
  3. Place the colander or strainer inside the large bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth.
  4. Once the butter forms, remove the lid and pour the contents of the jar into the lined colander.
  5. Let as much of the buttermilk drain away from the butter as possible.
    • If you are using a butter mold, remove the butter from the cheese cloth and place it in the butter mold. Apply the base and press down until the butter milk stops coming out of the mold.
    • If you are not using a butter mold, gather all the butter in the center of the cheese cloth. Twist the cheese cloth to squeeze out as much of the butter milk as possible. Unwrap the butter and place in an airtight container.
  6. Sprinkle salt evenly over the butter and mix in with a spatula.
    • For best results in a cheese mold, mix in the salt before unmolding the butter
  7. Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

  • 8 cups Whole Milk
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt (or to taste)
  • 1 Medium Lemon, Juiced

Equipment

  • Plastic Strainer or Colander
  • Cheese Cloth
  • Large Glass or Plastic Bowl
  • 4 quart Pot or Saucepan
  • Digital thermometer
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Ladle
  • Airtight Container

Directions:

  1. Line a colander with a large piece of cheesecloth that has been folded over itself 4 times. Place the colander over a bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large heavy based saucepan, over medium heat, heat the milk to 185° F stirring occasionally.
    • Do NOT boil the milk. There will be steam and small bubbles visible on the edges of the pot when you have reached the correct temperature, this can take up to 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice, slowly stir for approximately 2 minutes.
    • The solid cheese curds will begin to separate from the liquid whey.
  4. Cover the pot and let it sit for 20 minutes.
  5. Transfer the curds from the pot to the cheese cloth with a ladle.
  6. Let the cheese drain for 10 minutes, the longer the draining time the dryer the final product.
  7. Transfer the cheese from the cheese cloth to an airtight container, add salt and mix in with the wooden spoon.
  8. Ready to serve immediately or it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

View this recipe as a PDF

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon Whole Milk
  • ¼ tsp Calcium Chloride
  • 1½ tst Citric Acid
  • 1 Rennet Tablet
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt or to taste
  • 1½ cups Distilled Water

Equipment

  • Large Saucepan or Pot
  • Colander
  • Cheese Cloth
  • Long Bladed Knife
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Slotted Spoon or Ladle

Directions:

  1. Combine ¼ teaspoon of Calcium Chloride into ¼ cup Distilled Water.
  2. In a separate container combine ¼ teaspoon of liquid rennet into ¼ cup Distilled Water.
  3. In a third container 1½ teaspoons of Citric Acid into 1 cup Distilled Water.
  4. Add the calcium chloride to the pot, then the milk stir with a wooden spoon to combine
  5. Add citric acid solution
  6. Over low heat, constantly stir the milk with a wooden spoon, and bring the milk to 90­° F.
  7. Once the milk reaches 90° F immediately turn off the heat and remove your pot from the burner.
  8. Add the rennet solution to the warmed milk and stir for 30 seconds in a figure 8 pattern, and then around to make sure the rennet is completely mixed-in.
  9. Remove the spoon, put the lid on the pot, and leave it to set for approximately 10 minutes.
  10. After 10 minutes,using a long sharp knife, make ½ to 1-inch slices across the pot in one direction, rotate the knife 90°  and create a grid pattern.
  11. Return the pot to the stove over low heat. With a slotted spoon or ladle, very gently stir the curds, and very slowly bring the temperature of the whey up to 110°F. This may take up to an hour.
  12. Remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir the curds slowly off the heat for about 3 minutes, then let them rest at the bottom of the pot for about 5 minutes.
  13. While the curds are resting, prepare a colander by lining it with a piece of damp cheesecloth, and rest it over a deep bowl or another pot.
  14. Scoop the curds out of the whey with a ladle or slotted spoon, and into your prepared colander.
  15. Carefully pour the rest of the whey through the colander to get all the remaining bits of curd.
  16. Sprinkle the top of the curds with 1 teaspoon of salt, and fold them over. Let the curds drain for at least 30 minutes.
  17. Heat a large pot of water to about 175°F
  18. Pour the water into a separate bowl *NOTE* the water temperature will begin to drop rapidly once transferred into another bowl only do this step when you are ready to work the curds.
  19. After 30 minutes cut the curd block in half. Take one half, and break or cut it into 1 to 2-inch chunks, and place in a large bowl.
  20. Pour enough steaming water into the bowl, until the curds are completely covered with an inch or two of water. Let the curds sit for about 2 minutes.
  21. Begin gathering and mashing the curds together in the bowl with a spoon.
  22. Pup the mass of curds and begin to stretch and fold them like bread dough. Continue this process until a smooth ball forms.
  23. Begin pulling the entire mass as uniformly as possible, like a rope of taffy. Pull for a ‘few seconds, then dip in the hot water for a few seconds. Then stretch again and repeat this process until your curd has been stretched into long wide ribbons. Transfer the cheese ribbons to ice cold water to stop cooking.
  24. Once cool, wrap the ribbon like a ball of yarn. Once you get to the end of the rope, simply tuck the end under an adjacent strand.
  25. Let drain for an hour or so on a cooling rack
  26. To store, tightly wrap with plastic or store in a plastic container. Use within 3 days.

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